Good questions.
Clear answers.
Everything you need to find your feet on the lookout.
How does Watchtower decide a deal is good?
It compares observed prices and your target, then uses AI to explain the change. First observations and small fluctuations do not automatically trigger an alert. AI judgments can be wrong.
How often are prices checked?
Scheduled checks run about every six hours. Retailer errors can delay a check; each product shows its last successful observation.
Are alternative prices and shipping guaranteed?
No. Search snippets can be stale or refer to a different variant. Shipping is marked unverified when unclear. Always check the product and final total at checkout.
Why did a product fail to load?
Some stores block automated requests or load prices with JavaScript. Watchtower cannot bypass those restrictions. Try a direct product URL from another retailer.
How do I sign in?
Enter your email on the sign-in page and use the private link delivered to your inbox. You can also set a password in Account and sign in with it. Use an email link to recover access. Never share your sign-in link.
Is my watchlist public?
No. Only finds you explicitly publish are public. You can unpublish them from the product page; your email and private history are never included.
What is the newsletter?
An optional email list for Watchtower news and selected finds. Confirm your email to subscribe. There is no fixed publishing schedule, and every newsletter must include an unsubscribe link.
Does Watchtower use tracking cookies?
No advertising or analytics cookies are installed. Retailer links include Watchtower attribution parameters. The destination retailer has its own privacy policy.
Running Watchtower locally
For contributors: install dependencies, configure your environment using the repository README, then start the app.
npm ci
npm run dev